How To Clean Your Oven Quickly Inside And Out

Have you ever preheat your oven only to have your fire alarm start blaring? That was me the other day when I forgot about some sauce that spilled inside my oven the day before.

Mind you my fire alarm is super sensitive. The oven set to 425 F or higher causes it to start blaring so I actually try to avoid oven cooking because of it.

Over the years and with many mishaps in doing so I have learning how to clean an oven quickly and easily. It might actually shock you to find out how easy it can be to clean your oven.

Contemporary styled kitchen with clean oven

I hate the smell of oven cleaner and actually never use it after one issue with it. I had cleaned the inside of my oven and got the cleaner on the light bulb. Later that day I made nachos and had them baking in the oven.

All of a sudden I heard a pop. I looked into the oven and the light bulb had completely shattered all over dinner. It was only after this happened that I found out that cleaner on the light bulb in heat can cause it to shatter.

This was about 13 years ago and since then I have been extremely apprehensive about using oven cleaner.

I researched and tested many different cleaning options and finally found what worked quickly.

How To Clean Your Oven

You don’t need fancy smelly cleaners to clean your oven. While there are loads of different ways to clean your oven there is one ingredient alone that I trust to do the job quickly.

Dish soap is my go to cleaner for all things kitchen cleaning. There are several reasons why I choose to use dish soap over other cleaners.

First, the smell is mild. Second, it’s great for cleaning grease and burnt on food. Finally, we use it to wash our dishes, pans, and silverware because it’s safe to use.

How To Clean Oven Racks

Oven racks are a pain to clean only because they don’t always fit into your kitchen sink. If they don’t fit in yours then there are a couple of other places to clean them.

I prefer to just clean mine on my island. It’s just big enough to fit them and gives me a great working space. I’ve also cleaned them in my bathtub and outside with a hose.

Use the hottest soap water your hands can stand and a Scotch Bright green scour pad to clean it. Rinse where you can and dry them.

How To Clean Oven Glass Doors

You’ll scrub the inside of the door and window with your green scour pad and hot soapy water, then rinse with hot clean water and a microfiber cloth.

For the outside just wiped it down with a hot soapy rag to remove grease. Then rinse your rag and wipe the excess soap off the door. Dry with a clean microfiber cloth like these to make it shine.

To clean in between the glass first check to make sure that you can remove and disassemble the door. If you can wash and dry the inside the glass and door with hot soapy water.

If you can’t take the door apart you will need to get a bit creative. Use a yardstick wrapped with a cloth, a metal hanger with a cloth, or some sort of stick with a cloth. Use hot water only on the cloth to clean if you can’t get the door apart.

How To Clean Oven Inside

The inside of the oven is the easiest part of the entire job. Wash it out with hot soapy water and a scour pad. If you have burnt on food let a little hot soapy water sit on it while you focus on other areas.

Once clean wipe out the inside with a hot wet rag and let it air dry. If your oven is electric – be careful with the coil. Wash around the coil part.

How To Clean Oven Quickly

If you started preheating the oven only to smell food from the day before burning on the bottom turn off the oven and wait 10 minutes. Very carefully – because it will still be hot – use a hot wet rag to wipe up the food and stop the burning smell.

If you need to clean up a recent spill let the oven cool completely. Use a green scour pad and hot soapy water to spot clean the inside of your oven. Then wipe clean with a damp rag and let air dry.

How To Clean Under Your Oven

Most ovens have a warming or storage drawer on the bottom. If it’s a warming drawer you will need to disconnect the power before removing the drawer.

The drawer should remove much like how any kitchen drawer can be removed. A slight lift up while pulling the drawer towards you should remove it fairly easily.

From here you can sweep, vacuum, and wash the floor underneath.

How To Clean Oven With Baking Soda

I am going to just come right out and say something that is unpopular. Baking soda is great for some things but cleaning an oven is not one of them.

My reason here is a simple one. I like my cleaning tasks to be simple and efficient. I like an oven that shines and in as little time as possible.

Baking soda takes FOREVER to wipe up and out of your stove. It gets into the tiny crevices that make it super difficult to get it all cleaned up.

Finally just as you think you are finished cleaning you look at your now dry stove and see there is a film of baking soda still. Now you have to wipe out the inside of the stove, again, with a hot wet rag.

Baking soda is a pain in the butt to clean with. If you want to go all natural stick with straight vinegar.

A Nice Clean Shiny Oven

The next time you pull a me and set off your fire alarm because you forget about sauce spilled in the oven remember the quick way to clean it up. Turn the oven off, wait a minute, and then carefully wipe up the spilled food with a hot wet rag.

If you are deep cleaning your oven use regular dish soap and the hottest water your hands can stand. It breaks through burnt on food and grease quickly, is safe for where you prepare your food, and doesn’t leave a film like baking soda.

Make sure you grab my free cleaning schedule above. For more like this follow me on Pinterest and pin this to your favorite cleaning boards.

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How To Clean Your Oven Quickly Inside and Out